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By Alex Manchester, Editor
alex.manchester@melcrum.com
June 23rd, 2008
4 social media selling points
"What's the point?" is a frequently asked question around social media in a business context: "Why do we need blogs, what do we need a social network for and who on earth would want to Twitter?"
If you're trying to introduce social media tools in your organization, and find yourself faced with these questions, here are some selling points you might be able to use to change cynical minds.
1. Opening up your organization is a good thing
Transparency, honesty, clear communication.... these are all aspirations of the modern organization. Show you mean business by providing platforms for positive, honest communication – be it internal, external, management to employees, employee-to-employee and everything in between.
Successful social media efforts such as public corporate blogs have seen organizations being "humanized". Meaning that the conversations taking place inside and outside of an organization help to demonstrate the type of people that work there, the culture of the organization and the work that's done.
2. It won't cause the organization to spontaneously combust
Despite astronomical claims from unscrupulous service providers, the big "dangers" of social media – productivity loss and security breaches – have been vastly overcooked.
Let's face it, if employees want to waste time, they'll waste time – whether Facebook is accessible or not. If employees want to smuggle secret information out of the company, they've long been able to send an email.
Don't believe the scaremongering. The options are there regardless and there are many more good social media case studies than there are bad ones.
3. Competitive differentiation
Despite economic turmoil, many markets and industries still face a "war for talent". If your organization has yet to even look at social media and you're competing for talent against a more progressive organization who understands the demands – and expectations – of the younger generation worker, you could be looking at a long wait to fill that vacancy.
4. It's not expensive to try it out
And lastly, none of this stuff is expensive to try or hard to test. Almost every new application or website out there allows detailed security settings, meaning you can test things out behind closed doors.
Of course, social media tools aren't answers in themselves. Few attempts will work without participation, champions banging drums and a commitment from those in charge to see the organization for what it is – celebrate your employees for the people they are and the personalities they have.
Don't forget, you can visit the Social Media Newsletter archive to refer back to past issues, or catch up on ones you've missed.
Best regards,
Global intranets, right at my desk
Alex Manchester, The Melcrum Blog, June 20, 2008
Alex Manchester reviews the Intranet Benchmarking Forum's IBF24: 24 hours of webcast presentations, discussion panels, thought-pieces and case studies.
"Mommy bloggers" play a key online role for communicators
The Internal Comms Hub, June 19, 2008
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) event shares the secrets of successful social media strategies.
Stop! Twitter time...
Abi Signorelli, The Melcrum Blog, June 13, 2008
From wikis to Twitter, Virgin Media's director of internal communication, Abi Signorelli continues her digital diary on the Melcrum Blog.
Look out jargon-lovers, the Beeb's playing bullsh*t bingo
Alex Manchester, The Melcrum Blog, June 17 2008
Do you love to "go forward", indulge in a bit of "blue-sky thinking" or, "collect low-hanging fruit"? Then you'd better not read this article over at the BBC - 50 office-speak phrases you love to hate.
Encouraging dialogue among "non-wired" employees
Melcrum's Communicators' Network, June 20,
2008
This Communicators' Network member wants to set up a discussion forum within a manufacturing business, where only a minority of employees are online, many of whom are not confident with new media. Can you offer any advice?
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